Reflection: Obedience vs Agency in the Classroom

If you told most American teachers that we would have to purchase our own supplies, manage classes of 50+, begin work at 5am, and deal with oppressive heat and humidity all day, we immediately call our union representative. But, this is the reality for the majority of Filipino teachers. Day in and day out, teachers in the Philippines are tasked with achieving the impossible; teaching large groups of marginalized students in some of most challenging conditions. And yet, they are doing it and doing it well.

Each class observation throughout our time followed the same basic pattern. First, students would rise from their seats and welcome us with a chorus of "Good morning/afternoon, ma'am!" before rushing to bring us chairs and position each fan to directly face us. The teacher would then continue the lesson, their voice often projected through a headset microphone. Typically, students would have a handout containing the day's problem sets, which they would graciously show us as the lesson progressed. During class, the teacher would ask for volunteers or cold-call students to explain their work. We would ask questions if it was appropriate, and almost invariably, eventually pause for a photo shoot.

Each experience highlighted the strong expectation of obedience and respect from students at the secondary level. I found this admirable but complicated. While large class sizes certainly mandate a higher level of obedience from students to remain functional, I typically encourage individuality and student agency over uniformity in my classroom. This tension is consistent with modern American pedagogy; educators are often put in a position to toe the line between facilitating a respectful class environment and providing ample opportunity for student ownership and expression of identity. We work hard to embed tenets of project-based learning, student voice and choice, hands-on design, and joy into each class.

But what if we have it wrong? While research supports the adoption of these practices to increase student achievement, especially for diverse learners, does that inherently mean that we are preparing them for what's ahead? In the US we stress individualism and personal freedoms - largely at the expense of a functioning society. In what ways does teaching students obedience also teach them deference to others and to the natural world? To solve today's issues, we need to prepare the next generation to be critically conscious and to have the ability to follow direction to work towards a common good. Is the American school system's stress on valuing each student's agency deteriorating our hopes of building a society where we care for others and the environment? As we know, most work, especially work in service to others, largely consists of chipping away at unglamorous tasks to achieve a goal within a larger system. Is a focus on student agency just another way to perpetuate capitalism over preparing students for work to better their communities?

This left me conflicted. While I have no doubt that Filipino students are receiving high-level instruction and will be prepared to address global issues like climate change, I can't help but wonder how much long-term knowledge they are gaining if they are constantly focused on conformity. I frequently contemplate this about my own students and wonder whether their long-term knowledge is even material to their future success. For example, if a student doesn't remember how to balance equations, does that prohibit them from becoming an exceptional social worker? Or, if a student is not able to progress their reading level past the tenth grade, is that detrimental to their aspirations to be an electrician? Are we realistic in our expectations for students, and, if not, does focusing on student agency necessarily address that? The same line of questioning can be true in the contemplation of obedience; should we return to a focus on obedience in schools so that we as Americans stop constantly putting ourselves before others? Obviously, while one does not necessarily lead to the other, this experience made me deeply question my pedagogy.

While the answers to my questions still remain a mystery, this experience made me question whether the time for individuality in our work is behind us. Globally, we are reaching a tipping point that we may not be able to return from, especially regarding the climate, and we need to prepare the next generation to handle this. To do so, we have to teach students to deeply value the land and others above their own interests. While I don't believe that agency and obedience are necessarily at odds, I do wonder what we can learn from Filipino teachers to prepare students to address the future. Ultimately, I know that we will need to teach both agency and obedience, care and creativity. Hopefully, we will be able to do it in time to salvage both humanity and our natural world.